In the operation of construction machinery, it is quite common to utilize an accumulator for any number of systems including steering, braking, ride control or any other system in which it is desirable to store energy. The size of the accumulator is governed by its particular use within each of these respective systems as well as government regulations that pertain to various functional specifications of an accumulator. These regulations are known to vary from country to country and accommodations must be made to provide for the mounting of accumulators of varying sizes.
Another requirement in the mounting of an accumulator resides in the display of a plate or other type of label that indicates the pressure rating of the accumulator. This plate is often positioned in random fashion on the outer surface of the accumulator and accommodations must be made in the mounting of the accumulator to rotate the vessel to provide proper display of the rating indicator.
One mounting assembly that has been successfully utilized includes a pair of strap assemblies that extend around the outer portion of the accumulator. The strap assemblies are vertically spaced from one another and are tightly secured to the frame on opposite sides of the accumulator. The fastening means are generally threadable and may be tightened sufficiently to clamp the accumulator securely to the frame. In addition, the accumulator may be rotated prior to its attachment to position the rating plate in a clearly visible location, usually between the straps. While this mounting apparatus has been known to perform in an adequate fashion, its versatility is limited in that the strap assemblies normally must be varied with the diameter of the accumulators. This requires multiple strap assemblies which can be inconvenient in their storage. The multiplicity of components also tends to be rather costly as well.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.